Re: [VIC] Standard Gauging

[Vaughan Williams <ender2000@my-deja.com>]

Yeah, what he said

Of course it would be easier if all the lines were the same gauge - and
it was NSW's fault for changing their mind to standard while vic and sa
were laying broad (or that might just be an old wives tale...)

But the question is whether its worth the bother and cost.

And the political reality is - as demonstrated by adelaide - when lines
are regauged services and branch lines are lost.

> There has to be a demonstrated net economic benefit in reguaging
railway lines
> .
> Just doing it for it would be a good idea simply makes no sense.
> Most of the freight traffic that originates in country Victoria
travels to
> Melb,Geelong or Portland in the case of grain.
> Very little of it needs to go directly interstate,so what is achieved
by
> reguaging hundreds or possibly thousands of km of BG track,bearing in
mind that
> reguaging costs around 100K per km.
> No way that FV would wear the bill for any of this.
> There are also negatives for FV for running over what are now ARTCs
tracks in
> that they have to pay additional track access charges whereas now
running over
> their own tracks they do not.
> Who would pay for the costs of re guaging all of FVs rolling stock
and locos.
> Re guaging in itself doesnt increase total freight hauled.
> One has to simply look at the freight tonnage travelling between Melb
and
> Adelaide on the new std guage line and compare it with the old broad
guage
> line,and you will find that tonnage has in fact fallen since the BG
days.
> I can see very little requirement to re guage anything in Victoria
except
> possibly Dynon to Long Island for the steel trains,although this
would be
> exceedingly difficult and costly .
> If the State Govt wanted to foot the bill for reguaging , then the
money would
> be far better spent in improving the existing rail network to allow
higher
> speeds or to reduce access charges /  compliance costs for existing
operators.
>
> MD
>
>


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